His toughest grab: Playoff victory

Joey Galloway has played 13 seasons in the NFL but can count on one hand the times he has made the playoffs. He can make a fist and count his playoff wins.

None.

Three games, all losses.

When the Bucs host the Giants in an NFC wild-card game Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, Galloway will try to end a career's worth of postseason frustration. At 36, the veteran receiver knows the opportunity is precious.

"I'm pretty excited about being in the playoffs again," he said. "It hasn't happened very many times in my career."

His regular-season resume is impressive.

Galloway reached two significant milestones this season. He surpassed 10,000 career receiving yards and joined Henry Ellard of the Rams and Redskins as the only receivers to post three 1,000-yard receiving seasons with two different teams. Galloway has done it with the Bucs and Seahawks.

Galloway's 15.8-yard average leads active players with at least 500 catches. His nine touchdowns of 60 yards or more are tied for second among active players with Terrell Owens, three behind leader Randy Moss. This season, Galloway's eight receptions of 40 yards or more are second only to Moss' nine.

Without a doubt, Galloway can go deep. But he has yet to go deep into the playoffs.

"I hope he's not bad luck that way," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said, chuckling. "I hope we can deliver a win. It's going to take a lot of Galloway. We expect him to be a big part of our offense. We're going to need some big plays to win."

Galloway participated in first-round playoff losses with Seattle in 1999, Dallas in 2003 and Tampa Bay in 2005. He has 12 postseason catches for 150 yards and no touchdowns, though he led the Bucs with seven receptions for 69 yards in the playoff loss to the Redskins three years ago.

To beat the Giants, the Bucs likely need Galloway to end his postseason scoring drought. This season, the Bucs are 4-1 when Galloway scores.

But throwing against New York will not be easy. The Giants have a dangerous pass rush and lead the league with 53 sacks. Quarterback Jeff Garcia won't have much time.

"It makes it tough to throw, period," Galloway said. "Their front seven gives you a lot of different looks. They come from a lot of different areas. ... With what they do, it makes it tough to throw deep, short and anywhere else."

But Galloway knows playoff opportunities are rare, not to be wasted.

"As a young guy in this league, you think that you get there a lot," Galloway said. "This is my fourth time in 13 seasons. It definitely hasn't happened very often for me."